Morphological information

A gregarious shrub, 3-10 ft high, covered with white or yellowish hairs. Leaves large 4-12 inch long, 3- 8 inch broad, cordate, tapering at the end; petiole 1- 4 inch long. Inflorescence 6-15 inch long, much branched, upper bracts red, calyx 1- 3 to 1.5 inch long, incised, corolla white pinkish with soft hairs. Fruit 1.5- inch wide, compressed black when ripe.

Flowering                 : February -May

Fruiting                    : May -July

History                     :

Parts                        : Bark and leaves

Status                      : Low risk

Phytochemistry

Isolation of fumaric acid, ethyl and methyl esters of caffeic acid, β-sitosterol and its glucoside from flowers (Indian J. Pharm. Sci. 1980, 42, 96); a new flavone glucoside acacetin 7 0 methyl glucoronate  isolated from flowers and characterized (Planta Med. 1981,42,296 );aacetoside isolated from flowers and identified as 2 (3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl) ethanol- 1- 0- α- -L rhamnopyranosyl- (1→3) -β- D- (4"-O- caffeyl ) glucopyranoside (Indian J. Chem. 1983, 22B, 97).

 

Ayurvedic               : The plant has a bitter, pungent taste with a flavour; tonic, aphrodisiac, antipyretic.

Traditional               : The extract prepared from smashing of root is effective in case of  dysentery (Yonzone at al 1985).

Others

The leaves are cheap and efficient substitute for chiretta as a tonic and antiperiodic. The fresh juice is employed as a vermifuge and also as a bitter tonic and febrifuge in malarious fevers, especilly in those of children. It is used as an infection into the rectum in cases of ascarids.

The leaves enter into the composition of pills used by Mundas of Chota Nagpur in a chest complaint with cough and difficult expectoration. The sprouts are recommended in the treatment of snakebite; the leaves and flowers are prescribed in scorpion sting.

 

 

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